//------------------------------// // Bringing Back Hearth's Warming // Story: How Pinkie Pie and her Friends Saved Santa Hooves // by The Diplomat //------------------------------// "Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" Pip could not squeak out a single word. He sat there, on his bed, staring at the apparition before him. It was real, it was actually real. Santa Hooves was standing just there, giving him a smile and sitting on the steeps of his flying red carriage, just like in the pictures he had seen in the books his parents read to him as a smaller child. And speaking of parents... "You're not real." "Is that what they've been saying these days? That's not very nice, although I was gone for...what year is this?" asked the donkey, clasping his hooves together. "...It's the second year of the Celestial Sisters' rule. That might change though, we just got a new princess." "Oh, that's when we are. I have been gone a while, haven't I?" he replied, scratching his chin with a hoof. "People don't believe in you anymore. I just stopped, at least." "Hmmm...so it seems. I sense as though we're getting off on the wrong hoof here. I'll start: hello Pipsqueak, my name is Santa Hooves. Or Colt, if you prefer, can I call you Pip?" "...Why are you here? You're not supposed to be real," he said, crossing his arms. The old donkey did nothing for a moment, simply staring at the colt in front of him, before he laughed and got up. "Well then, I suppose we'll have to fix that shall we? Yes, I think it's high time Equestria started believing again, don't you? Come along." Santa Hooves went into his carriage and disappeared into the light, leaving the door open for Pip to follow. The little colt wasn't sure what to think at this point: his faith had been strengthened in the morning, broken in the afternoon, and had both shattered and been fixed almost in the same moment. But he felt it, in his bones, that this was real. So he went up the small stairs of the carriage, and gazed in awe at what the light revealed. He was standing in an immense room, bigger than the carriage should have allowed it to be. High above him, massive gears of all shapes and sizes turned around in perfect synchronisation, making a low rumbling and clanking noise. Steam floated around, and he could see some pipes blowing out smoke of every colour. In front of him, a small metal platform connected his walkway to another, which split up in the shape of a Y. At the point where the Y split, a small set of stairs led up to a massive glass pillar, which contained a large crystal. The pillar was surrounded by a set of boards, which were covered in all sorts of thing: levers, buttons, knobs, handles, and what appeared to be a hotplate. Standing at the top of those stairs was Santa Hooves, looking down at the colt with a proud smile. "Welcome to my workshop, Pip. What do you think?" Before Pip could reply, the donkey hushed him. "Actually, don't answer that. I hate it when they say that. Now then, we're off. Come up here." Pip took slow steps forward, looking over the rails to see what was below. The metal platform in front of him seemed to be an elevator of sorts, and down there a massive vault was connected to the platform where Santa was standing with several pipes. In those pipes, colourful liquids rushed up underneath the platform to a pool, which was covered by the platform, where many crystals were glowing. The pool seemed to be connected to the boards, go up the pillar, and make the largest crystal grow several colours. He saw it turn blue, then red, then green. "I'm glad I caught you on time, Pip my boy. After dealing with some nasty business, I decided to check in on Equestria and saw that things had taken a strange turn in my absence. Tell me: what do I mean to the ponies of your time?" Not bothering to really understand the question, Pip looked away with sad eyes. "The only people who really believe in you now are the foals. Adults make us believe you're real, but the fact is they're the ones who give gifts. Lots and lots of gifts," he said, then turned to the donkey. "Why are things this way? Why did you leave us all those years ago?" Santa Hooves looked down at the colt with a sad expression of his own, then closed his eyes and gave a sigh. "I'll explain everything to you on the way," he then turned his gaze up to the ceiling, and called out in a loud voice. "Let's go, then!" The place stayed still for a moment, then it started to shake. The glass pillar pumped up and down, and the crystal shone a bright white colour. Pip lost his footing and just had time to grab a nearby railing when Santa, who had also grabbed the railing and stood next to him, started talking. "I know you know of the pixies and elves that help me make gifts, so I won't go into too much detail. What happened all those years ago, after we had given the gifts to every settlement in Equestria, is that we started preparing the next one. But then their world was attacked by the Windigos, as they were angry at us for making everypony happy. I had to help them Pip, I had to, they had helped me so much. By the time we had sent them away and I came back, things had changed. I saw you on the hill with your friends, your pink friend, and what happened downstairs. I'm sorry." "...It's okay Santa, I forgive you. But where are they now, and where are we going?" "They're back in their world, resting after a long fight with those nasty spirits. As to where we are..." As he said those words, the room stopped shaking and the pillar had stopped moving and glowing. Santa Hooves walked over to the door, and held it open. "Take a look." Cautious, Pip went to the door and looked up at him. After receiving a nod, he went outside, and what he saw amazed him. They were standing above a tall hill, where the grass went high and wild trees and bushes marked the edge of a dense forest. Below them, at the foot of the hill, a small village made of huts and dirt roads glowed from torches and Hearth's Warming lights. He could see ponies moving below, none of them were flying, but they were all going towards the center of the village, where a tall Hearth's Warming trees stood proud and shiny, covered in decorations. Santa Hooves joined him, his weathered brown bag on his shoulder. "What you are looking at is an Earth Pony settlement, in the year two after BoE, or Birth of Equestria if you want. And we, my young friend, are going to give them gifts." "You mean...we traveled through time?" "That we did, lad, and I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago: show up for Hearth's Warming." "...Santa Hooves...is this real?" asked Pip, looking up at the magical donkey. He stared at his young friend, and grinned. "Pip, my colt, this is as real as it can get. Now let's go, we have gifts to give," he said, walking back into the carriage. Pip ran after him, and stood next to him in front of the boards. "No, no, Pip. You stay at the door and watch what happens. Leave the door open, and hold on tight." Following his instructions, Pipsqueak stood next to the open door and waited. A buzzing noise could be heard, and then the area shook once more. The carriage went up the air, and slowly flew over the town before standing still, hovering the houses from two meters or so. "Right then, let's start," said Santa, walking up to Pip. "But Santa, we're not going to jump down there are we?" "Oh, I could have done that when I was younger, but not today. Look," he replied, pointing at their hooves. When Pip looked down, he saw that the steps of the carriage had grown to go all the way down to the roof of the house below them. Pip stared at them, mouth open, before a hoof closed it and ruffled his hair, Santa giving a chuckle at the boy's reaction. He walked down, the leather bag still on his back, and waited until Pip had joined him to walk towards the house's chimney. "Hold on to my robes Pip, and don't move." Pip did as he was told, and looked at the donkey. Santa went into his pocket and took a few seconds to pull out an empty snow globe, which he stared at with a frown. Then, to Pip's great surprise, the house that they were standing on appeared in the glass ball. Before he could ask how that happened, there was a small flash and they found themselves in a dark, empty living room. In front of them, a small tree with a few decorations was devoid of gifts, and Pip had to shake his head a bit to clear his vision. "Before you ask, that was magic and let's leave it at that. Now then, come help me with this. These gifts aren't going to set themselves down." "But Santa, you don't have anything in there." "That's what you think. Watch this," he said, with a wink. The, from out of nowhere, he pulled out a small teddy bear. After putting it down, at the foot of the tree, he pulled out a small toy carriage and placed it next to the stuffed animal. He followed the two items with a pair of green slippers and a red mare's saddle. Pip watched the whole thing in silence. "There we go. Onto the next one," said Santa, picking up his bag. "How...did you do that?" "Magic." "What you did was impossible, even for magic." "Understand this, Pipsqueak: nothing is impossible. If there's a will, there's a way. Now hold on." Pip clutched the donkey's clothes, and they popped back up to the roof. To their left, a walkway appeared to make a bridge between their roof and the next one. Pip looked up to see Santa Hooves eating a carrot and drinking a glass of milk. Once he was done, he put the snow globe in front of the glass and it flashed out of existence. "There we go, next one!" "Wait, wait wait! Santa!" said Pip, reaching out to the donkey, who turned around to watch the boy fidget. "...How do you travel like that? In time, and from the elves' world to mine?" The donkey gave a small humph, and knelt in front of the colt to give him a warm smile. "Pipsqueak...do you really want to know?" "...Nah. Let's go give these ponies their gifts!" said Pip, skipping over to the bridge. Santa watched him go, and chuckled. "Me neither." ************ And so they went from house to house, the colt and Santa Hooves, dropping off gifts and eating the milk and treats left on their plates. Pip would help as much as he could, and shared the food that the ponies had so generously left for them with Santa Hooves. They popped from home to home, hiding in a corner to avoid some very close calls when someone went to see what the noise in their house was. Strangely enough, none of the ponies seemed to see that they were hiding there, and never went to check. They made small talk with each other. Santa Hooves told Pip of the pixies and the elves, while Pip told him of his time and what had happened in his absence. The whole time they were smiling, enjoying the feeling of bringing joy to these people. After they were done with the houses, they stood in front of the carriage, both a bit tired but happy to have done a good job. "Wow, that was great!" laughed Pip, skipping around Santa. "Yes, that was very enjoyable, I had forgotten how nice that was. Now then, onto the next stop?" he said, getting back in the carriage. "Oh by! Are we going to another town?" asked the colt, watching Santa go to the boards. "...Yes, yes we are. Onwards!" he said, flipping a switch. The room shook again, and they arrived to their destination rather quickly. Pip ran ahead, eager to see where or when they had landed, and flung open the doors, only to be confused. He was looking at his dark room, the alarm clock showing one minute past midnight. Why was he back here? "This is where we part ways, lad. Thank you very much for your help," said Santa, looking at the boy with a warm smile. "You mean...I can't help you anymore?" he asked, feeling his eyes moisten. "My boy, you've helped me so very much I could call you an elf," said Santa with a chuckle, patting the boy on the head. "But I couldn't ask you to help me more. I have hundreds of Hearth Warming's to catch up on, and you need your sleep. You have presents waiting for you downstairs, after all." "Yeah, my parents bought them for me," grumbled Pip. "Oh, I have no doubt about that, but you'll come to find that it's not so bad. Be glad for what they give you, and never show any sign of this night to them. One last thing before I leave: you might want to visit the Royal Canterlot Museum when you get the chance. I think you'll find it to be a nice reminder of what we did tonight." At this point, the colt knew that Santa Hooves had a tendency to be vague and mysterious, so he just nodded. He hugged the old donkey, his thanks muffled by the sleeve of the robes. Santa returned the hug, and went back to his carriage. Just before he closed the door, he looked back at the boy. "Do you believe in me, Pipsqueak? Do you think I can fix this mess?" "Yeah I do! You're real and you want to after all!" said Pip, giving his friend a big smile. With a chuckle, he closed the door and left Pip to watch as the carriage faded away with a rasping noise. The colt rubbed his eyes dry and climbed in his bed, feeling the work they had done catch up to him. Before he fell asleep, he had a big smile on his face and a single thought that rang through his head. He's real. He was always real. And with that, he went to have wonderful dreams of him and Santa, sailing the seas in their pirate outfits, throwing gifts at their ship mates and laughing heartily. ************ "Come along, children! I have a feeling you'll like this part!" Cherilee led her students through the Royal Canterlot Museum, keeping an eye on each and every one of them. They were following her, albeit in a somewhat organised fashion, and all speaking in hushed voices. A month had passed after Hearth's Warming, and their teacher had actually received an invitation from the museum's curator to visit their establishment as part of a school project on Equestrian traditions. They had passed the galleries dedicated to Nightmare Night and had just entered the section concerning Hearth's Warming Eve. Pipsqueak was part of the group, and happily trotted alongside his teacher. He kept thinking about that magical night he had spent with Santa Hooves, and the his final advice he had given him. Now that he was in the museum, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign from the old donkey. After walking through the part of the museum dedicated to Hearth's Warming Eve, Cherilee called out to her students. "Alright children, let's take a look at the letter from Santa Hooves!" Pipsqueak snapped at attention, his curiosity suddenly spiked by his teacher's words. The group of colts and fillies huddled around the glass casing, and Pip had to squeeze through his peers to take a look at the message. He knew what the letter said, and yet for some reason he knew he had to see it one more time. As he reached the casing, his eyes roamed the words written there and widened as he reached the end. The message was familiar, but a part of it had changed. [...] On this day, I leave you an opportunity to share and care for another, whoever you may be and wherever you may hail from. If I were to request one thing of you, it would be this: do not forget me. I humbly ask that you do not forget that my actions will be a symbol of sharing and caring for one another, and not merely gifts. I encourage you, by all means, to show tokens of affection. Just not too many. And last, but not least, I would like to tell my little elf that none of this would have possible without him. And I would like to tell him, and every Equestrian throughout the realm, to know that I will return. I cannot say when or how, but I will return, and I hope to spend as much time as I can with you wonderful folk. Best of luck from your watchful friend, The Saviour from the Cold Pipsqueak stood there, flabbergasted, staring at the message before him. He couldn't understand: how could he have forgotten the contents of this letter? To answer his question, he signaled the wisest pony in the room. "Miss Cherilee?" he asked, waving a hoof in the air. "Yes, Pip, how can I help you?" "Can you tell us more about this letter?" "Why yes, I can," she said, pleased to see her students paying so much attention. "This is the original letter left by the mysterious character known as Santa Hooves, who - according to legend - went from settlement to settlement at the beginning of the Birth of Equestria to unite ponies under one nation. This letter has taught our ancestors that presents are far bigger on the inside of the box they come in: it's what they are about, what they represent. That's why there aren't many gifts on Hearth's Warming day: if we were to have too many gifts, we wouldn't appreciate them as much." "Well said, miss Cherilee. My thoughts exactly," came a new, deeper voice. The whole group, including the teacher, whirled around to find Princess Celestia walking towards them with a serene smile. They all bowed, which made the monarch giggle. "Rise, my little ponies. I won't have my guests bow to me in my museum," she said, making them get up immediately. Princess Celestia was, indeed, the curator of the Royal Canterlot Museum, and made many visits to the galleries in order to keep the memories she had stored here alive, for her and her subjects. She always enjoyed seeing her people look in awe at items she had picked up on a whim or to preserve many years ago, not knowing it would make such an impact. Yes, this place was very dear to her, and she was glad to share it with everypony. "And what about the elf?" asked a filly in the group. "Good question, Honey Bun. The elf mentioned in the letter refers to Santa Hooves' assistant, Santa Colt. Many philosophers and writers have published their work on these two characters, but no clear evidence was ever found as to who they were. But although no one has actually seen them, several sketches and drawing show them going from roof to roof. Would you like to see those?" The children all gave barely contained cheers, and quickly walked over to the rest of the exhibits. Meanwhile, Pipsqueak stayed in front of the letter, shaking his head with scrunched up eyes. He felt his memories shift and change, saw Hearth Warmings he had loved fade away to make way for new Hearth's Warmings, which felt better than the old ones. He remembered now that Santa Colt and Santa Hooves were actually two different ponies, and all the tales he had been told about them. He was confused, slightly sad, but very relieved overall. "Are you alright, little one?" asked the Princess, looking down at him. "Er, yes ma'am - I mean, your Majesty Princess Celestia," he said, straightening himself up with a blush. "That's quite alright, Pipsqueak," she said with a smile. "You- you know my name?" he whispered, staring up at her in awe. "Indeed I do. I have heard good things about you from my sister, Luna, and how you said she was the 'best Princess ever'," she replied, giving him a look of disappointment. "Oh, um...well, yeah, about that...see-" "I'm just teasing you, Pipsqueak, I know what you mean. Now, would you care to accompany me to those depictions of the Santas?" "Yes, ma'am!" he said, giving her a salute before trotting ahead. She giggled, shaking her head. Oh, Hooves. Your elf is a riot, just like you said. She walked through the great halls to see the good teacher show her students, along with Pip, a tapestry of two equine-like figures standing on a roof below a carriage, holding a star in their hooves. She showed them a painting where the two Santas were hidden in a corner, while a pony stood at the bottom of a staircase with a candle in their hoof. She watched them with a small smile, and had a thought. He'll be here soon, won't he?...Oh yes, this very year I think. She walked with the group for the rest of their visit, and waved goodbye to the colts and fillies as they left her museum. As Pip turned around one last time to look at the place, he saw the Princess give him a wink, and held a hoof up to her muzzle in a gesture of silence. Grinning, he saluted her again and ran towards his classmates. ************ "Pip, look out!" The colt ducked, narrowly avoiding the snowball as it whizzed over his head. He was standing along with his friends on the hills of Ponyville, many months after their visit to the museum, and they were having a lot of fun. When he asked about the talk they had last year, his friends didn't know what to reply. They couldn't remember a particular incident, and didn't understand why Pip looked at them with a happy smile after that. It never happened. Thank the Sisters, it didn't happen. "Here I come, ya scoundrels!" he yelled, throwing a ball of his own at Snips. The colt sidestepped to avoid it, and gasped as he saw hit it thin air and explode. They all froze, staring a the debris of the snowy bomb floating behind him. How could it be? None of them were suing any magic or trick, so how did the snowball stay in the air? Then, slowly but surely, they saw an extraordinary sight. The space around the ball seemed to glow red, and a crimson carriage could be seen appearing before their eyes. For a second, nobody breathed. After a few seconds, with a creak, the door of the carriage opened and a jolly voice rang out. "Well then, what's this? Is Santa Hooves going to engage in another snowball war?" There he was, clad in his green robes, the magic donkey which had brought them so much joy. He looked at his vehicle with a mock frown, and looked from child to child. When he spotted Pip, he narrowed his eyes. "It was you, wasn't it?" he asked pointing a hoof at the colt. Before our hero could reply, the old donkey threw his hooves up. "Quickly, children! We must fight the enemy! Attack!" And with that, he scooped up a block of snow, molded it into a ball, and threw it at Pip, who dodged the projectile while giggling wildly. "Arr, t'was I indeed, ya old buzzard! I be boardin' ya!" "You'll never have my ship, you scoundrel! Help me children, quick!" With great big grins and youthful determination, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Snips, Snails, Rumble and Dinky, started hurling snowballs at the devilish pirate while crying out with epic war cries. The pirate avoided each throw narrowly, laughing his piratey laugh and throwing his snowy bombs as if Discord had possessed him. When the battle ended, the old donkey cleared his throat. "Now then, children, can anyone tell me what day it is?" "It's the day after Hearth's Warming Eve!" they cheered. "I see! And did your parents give you nice gifts?" "Well, I didn't get any," said Dinky, hopping up and down," but that's nothing, because I got to spend the whole day with my mom and dad!" "Very nice, and what did you do?" he asked, crouching to meet her gaze. "We told stories, and baked cupcakes, and went ice-skating, and we made snowponies, and then we had hot cocoa around a nice fire!" "Well that sounds like a wonderful time, and I'd be glad to hear all of your stories, but I must meet your parents now! Yes, yes indeed, I have finally returned to Equestria, and I have so many things to see and stories to tell! Run along now, tell everyone you see that Santa Hooves has returned!" he shouted, laughing merrily. With wild cries of joy, they all ran down the hill babbling excitedly and running as fast as their little hooves could carry them. All of them, except for Pipsqueak. As soon as his friends had left, the colt ran up to the donkey and gave him a hug, which was returned in kind. "Thank you," said Pip, wiping his eyes on the robes. "No, lad, thank you. It seems we all needed this. You, me, and everypony else, seemed to have forgotten what Hearth's Warming was about. Now then, little elf, shall we go?" "Yeah!" shouted the colt, and ran down the hill while his friend climbed aboard the carriage, and flew it towards Ponyville Square. What happened to my Hearth's Warming Eve? thought Cranky Doodle, sitting on the steps of his flying carriage while looking down below. ...I guess it never changed, in the end. It happened at one point, and always has been there, I suppose. And with that thought, he grinned the biggest grin he had ever grinned in his long, long life.